Blatant Reality

After actually going to Iraq and seeing the progress going on there, Representative Baird now opposes plans for a withdrawal timeline.

The Washington Democrat, who voted against the Iraq war resolution in 2002, now opposes a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from that country.

 

Anti-war constituents at a town hall meeting Monday night repeatedly questioned Baird’s reasons for supporting the Bush administration’s decision to continue the “surge” of 30,000 additional troops at least until next spring.

 

“There is only one way to end an illegal and immoral war, and that’s to end it,” said Zamme Joi, an anti-war activist from Vancouver. Joi was among several activists who noted that they helped elect Baird to office in 1998 and continued to re-elect him in a congressional district that twice voted for President Bush. They called his position to support the war now a betrayal.

 

In May, Baird supported a bill that would have required troop levels to start falling by Oct. 1. But his perspective changed after a visit to Iraq in early August.

 

He now opposes a withdrawal timeline — and said he thinks that most of the country agrees with him.

Now some people may see this as a flip-flop, but I think it takes a lot of guts to stand up to the anti-war protesters. Since he has actually been to Iraq and has talked to the leaders over there, he should know a lot better than protesters what is actually going on. Because he has been a strong opponent of the war from the beginning, it should speak wonders that he thinks that now we should stay as long as it is needed because we have “a moral responsibility to the Iraqi people.” As long as he doesn’t flip flop back to supporting withdrawal timelines, I think that I won’t mind having some respect for this guy.

Joseph Bell, in an article on OpinionEditorials.com, lamented over America’s politicians inability to see what a premature withdrawal from Iraq would do to the credibility of our War on Terror.

What is lost in the debate about timetables, withdrawal and the effectiveness of the government in Baghdad is the overriding reality that there is a war going on in Iraq and the conclusion of that war will determine in large part the shape of the Middle East, the next phase of the war against the global terrorism network, the strength and influence of al Qaeda and America’s leadership role on the international stage.

 

During an August 22 speech in Kansas City, Missouri, President Bush said America’s enemies have a firm understanding of history. He said, “In an interview with a Pakistani newspaper after the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden declared that ‘the American people had risen against their government’s war in Vietnam. And they must do the same today.’ …Here at home some can argue our withdrawal from Vietnam carried no price to American credibility – but the terrorists see it differently.”

 

No doubt America’s enemies also remember that in the aftermath of Washington’s abandonment of Vietnam, America’s adversaries sprang into action across the globe. Max Boot, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, recently observed, “In the late 1970s America’s enemies seized power in countries from Mozambique to Iran to Nicaragua. American hostages were seized aboard the SS Mayaguez (off Cambodia) and in Tehran. The Red Army invaded Afghanistan. It is impossible to prove the connection with the Vietnam War, but there is little doubt that the enfeeblement of a superpower encouraged our enemies to undertake acts of aggression that they might have otherwise shied away from.”

 

There are a number of parallels between Vietnam and Iraq. In the case of Vietnam, American politicians forced a withdrawal of U.S. forces at a time when South Vietnam was becoming able to defend itself with negligible U.S. ground support. Boot wrote that by 1972 much of the South was considered secure and South Vietnamese forces were able to turn back the Easter Offensive with U.S. air support but with minimal U.S. ground assistance.

 

Boot concluded, rightly, “The danger is that American politicians will prematurely pull the plug in Iraq as they did in Vietnam. If they do so, the consequences will be even worse since Iraq is much more important strategically than Vietnam ever was

Today, Pajamas Media published an article by Richard Miniter concerning Scott Thomas Beauchamp, otherwise known as the “Baghdad Diarist.” In the article, Miniter interviews an ex-fiancée of Beauchamp who is living living near an army base in Germany.

By age 23, he had been engaged three times to three different women whom he did not marry.

 

Or consider his relationship with the Army. Priscilla writes: “He hates the army. The only reason he joined was because he wanted to have more experience to write about.”

 

Oddly he was secretive about his intentions to serve his country. “He didn’t even tell his mom he joined in the army. One day before basic training he left a note on the table for her…”

 

It is telling that he did not talk to her face-to-face, but simply made his admission and vanished.

 

He is manipulative. “He is very charming and he can convince people very good and he tries to make his side very clear.”

 

He is ambitious. “He always wanted to become a writer and he has a huge imagination,” Pricilla writes, without irony.

 

In another email, she notes: “He always wanted to write for The New Republic and so he thought the ‘Iraqi Diary’ is a good start and he could keep writing for them after that.”

Haven’t had the chance to post in the past couple days because I have been moving into my dorm and I have been really busy doing the whole college thing. Hopefully now that I’m all settled in, I will be able to keep up the posting. Oh, by the way, GO GAMECOCKS!

If you just go by the number of people that have joined Meetup groups, Ron Paul leading the pack of presidential hopefuls, both Republican and Democrat. Here are just some of the numbers to give you an idea.

Ron Paul 2008
29,810 Members in 740 Meetup Groups, 4,511 waiting for a Meetup Group

 

Barack Obama
4,039 Members in 70 Meetup Groups, 1,520 waiting for a Meetup Group

 

Dennis Kucinich
1,373 Members in 42 Meetup Groups, 2,459 waiting for a Meetup Group

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton
851 Members in 28 Meetup Groups, 1,074 waiting for a Meetup Group

Now only Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich have a “Meetup” logo prominently displayed on their pages so that could be the reason that Clinton and Obama don’t have as high of membership. However, even all the members combined is a pittance compared to Howard Dean’s Meetup support of over 140,000 in 2003.

By mid-November, the Howard Dean group on Meetup would have more than 140,000 members, though Meetup would matter less.

Iran’s Mehr News published an article yesterday stating that those who weren’t allowed to run for parliament in the last election, won’t be allowed to run this time around either. What was the reason they weren’t allowed to run? They didn’t meet the religious standards of Iran’s Guardian Council.

However, if a person is rejected by the Guardian Council it does not mean that he is a criminal, he explained.

 

“Based on Article 28 of the election law, those persons who are committed to Islam and the sacred Islamic law and the Islamic Republic system and show loyalty to the Constitution and the modern principle of velayat-e faqih (rule by the jurisprudent) will be qualified.

 

“And those persons who disseminate the principles of secularism and liberal democracy and do not possess the requirements stated in the aforementioned article (Article 28) should not expect to be recognized as qualified.”

 

As the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution has recommended, the only criterion for judging candidates’ qualifications should be a “commitment to the observation of the law,” he added.

All hail Iran’s Islamic Theocracy! Sigh. It looks like democracy won’t be coming to Iran anytime soon through the electoral channels.

Yep, according to USA Today, it seems as if the surge is actually working.

(h/t Hot Air)

The number of truck bombs and other large al-Qaeda-style attacks in Iraq have declined nearly 50% since the United States started increasing troop levels in Iraq about six months ago, according to the U.S. military command in Iraq.

Tommy Thompson officially dropped out of the presidential race today.

(h/t Instapundit)

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, who said he would drop out of the Republican race for president if he didn’t come in first or second in Saturday’s Ames Straw Poll, finished sixth of 11 candidates.

For those who didn’t get a chance to see what he stood for, here are his takes on the issues:

Iraq – Governor Thompson believes Iraq is a vital front in the War on Terror and that the debate over short-term military solutions and defunding of the troops’ mission is shortsighted and counterproductive. Instead, Governor Thompson believes that America should work to build an Iraq with strong economic and political infrastructures. Details on his proposal can be found here.

 

Defense and Foreign Policy – Governor Thompson believes the nation must recommit itself to rebuilding the American military because our armed forces must have the capacity to dominate any war or any conflict we must enter – all while having the capability to fight a multi-front war. Our military is simply stretched too thin to protect American interests overseas and at home in these dangerous times. At the same time, our foreign policy cannot be based solely on military might. We must reach out to the rest of the world, and a good place to start is with medical diplomacy. Governor Thompson’s initiative would take America’s great doctors and health professionals, along with our medicines and technology, to some of the most distraught places in the world, helping to comfort and nurse the poor to better health. By doing so, we can begin to heal some of the wounds with our global neighbors.

 

Health Care – Governor Thompson believes America must strengthen its health care system if it is to remain the best in the world. He would accomplish this by 1. moving the focus to preventive from curative care; 2. accelerating the adoption of health information technology to save money and lives; 3. placing the uninsured in state-by-state insurable pools, allowing private insurers to bid on their coverage; 4. strengthening the nation’s long-term care system that robs too many Americans of their life savings; and 5. strengthening the Medicare and Medicaid programs to ensure the programs are there in the future for the millions of Americans who depend on them. Details on his proposal can be found here.

 

Immigration – Governor Thompson opposes amnesty and believes that America must enforce its immigration policies to the fullest extent of the law. People who are found to be in the country illegally should be returned to their home countries and should have to wait at the end of the line, behind people who are seeking to enter the country or become citizens legally.

 

Abortion – Governor Thompson is pro-life and signed one of the nation’s first partial-birth abortion bans. Under Thompson, the number of adoptions in Wisconsin increased by 22 percent, while the number of abortions decreased by 37 percent. Just as he did in Wisconsin, Thompson would appoint strict constructionist judges who do not legislate from the bench.

 

Marriage – Governor Thompson believes marriage is between a man and a woman. He supports states’ rights in determining the definition of marriage and believes it should be done legislatively or by referendum.

 

Education – Governor Thompson, who started the nation’s first school choice program in Milwaukee, believes America must hold our schools to high standards from kindergarten through college while making sure all of our children have access to a world-class education, regardless of what neighborhood they live in or how much money their parents make. Governor Thompson believes Congress can make No Child Left Behind stronger, and do so without wavering on its core principles.

 

Second Amendment – Governor Thompson is a gun owner who signed legislation that banned Wisconsin communities from passing anti-gun ordinances that are stricter than state law.

 

Taxes and Spending – Governor Thompson cut taxes by $16.4 billion in Wisconsin and believes President Bush’s tax cuts must be permanent to allow taxpayers to keep more of their hard-earned money and to continue to build the economy. Governor Thompson also vetoed more than 1,900 items in 14 years in office, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

Energy and the Environment – Governor Thompson believes America must become more independent in its energy needs and break reliance on foreign oil. We must begin with greater investments in renewable energy, like ethanol, so we can bring these technologies to market faster and more efficiently. And we must come together and deal with our changing climate.

Those were taken from his website located here. However, I doubt the website will be up for too much longer.

A more detailed CNN article is located here.

It seems that many Democrats fear that if Senator Clinton is the presidential nominee, she will scare many to vote Republican come election day.

The chairman of a Midwest state party called Clinton a nightmare for congressional and state legislative candidates.

 

A Democratic congressman from the West, locked in a close re-election fight, said Clinton is the Democratic candidate most likely to cost him his seat.

 

A strategist with close ties to leaders in Congress said Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races would be strongly urged to distance themselves from Clinton.

 

“The argument with Hillary right now in some of these red states is she’s so damn unpopular,” said Andy Arnold, chairman of the Greenville, S.C., Democratic Party. “I think Hillary is someone who could drive folks on the other side out to vote who otherwise wouldn’t.”

 

“Republicans are upset with their candidates,” Arnold added, “but she will make up for that by essentially scaring folks to the polls.”

It looks like Mitt Romney may win the Iowa Straw Poll today.

The University of Iowa’s latest poll showed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ahead of 10 rivals, including three candidates who lead Romney in nationwide polls but who have said they aren’t seriously competing in the Iowa contest.

 

The names of the three - former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. - will appear on the paper ballot anyway.

This poll has been a good indicator in the past of who will receive the GOP’s presidential nomination.